Doing a meditation on Maitreya Bodhisattva in Tusita heaven (original) (raw)
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Journal of Fine Arts, 2019
Buddhism is a creative religion in Asiatic civilization, creative in the sense the proliferation of a rich literature and visual art leading to Universal Harmony. Beginning with the Buddha (6th century BCE), a galaxy of scholars have contributed brainwork to the cultural inheritance of Mahāyāna-Buddhism. The present article is an attempt to examine the imagery of Buddhist monks in visual arts with special reference to Bodhidharma/ Aṟavaṇa-aṭikaḷ, propagator of the Buddhist creed (c. 5th century CE). Bodhidharma hailing from Kāñcīpuram lived in China to propagate the Buddhist dharma (Ch’an and Zen) in the land of Confucianism (Confucius in Hutchinson’s n.d.: I, fig. p. 74) and Taoism (“Ultimate Tao… the Golden Man… Mystery beyond all mysteries” cited in Rawson 1981: 75). Aravaṇa-aṭikaḷ is a Buddhist master in the Tamil epic, Maṇimēkalai (c. 200 to 500 CE). The imagery of Bodhidharma is popular in Chinese and Japanese annals and visual art through the ages. We do not have any painting or sculpture that purports to portray Aṟavaṇa-aṭikaḷ. I have found a few sculptures in the mahastūpa of Borobudūr (Indonesia), which most probably illustrates Aṟavaṇa-aṭikaḷ teaching the Buddhist law to Maṇimēkalai. Maṇimēkalai, the bhikṣunī, appears in the Tamil twin epics, Cilappatikāram and Maṇimēkalai. We could hazily visualize these icons from a study of literary evidences. Sculpture or painting is an authoritative source to demonstrate how a personality was viewed some 1000 or 2000 years ago, e.g. the murals and fresco in the Ajaṇṭā caves that illustrate the Buddhist annals (see the many faces of the Buddha Fig.11). The Buddha’s nativity was Nepāḷa, which means his physiognomy should have been of the Mongoloid milieu. The article examines the facial anatomy of the Buddha with reference to monks that propagated Buddhism. Bodhidharma or Aravaṇa-aṭikaḷ was of the Tamil stock, which means what anthropologists normally designate Drāviḍian (Tirāviṭaṉ). Āryan (Āriyaṉ) and Mongolian (Maṅkōliyaṉ) are of different genres and pigments, viz. Āryan-white, Mongolian-yellow (or golden) and Drāviḍian-black. By the way, the personality of the Mongol reflected in Vassili Yan’s novel Jenghiz Khan is corroborated while dealing with facial anatomy that is known as mukhalakṣaṇa in Indian iconographic jargon.
Two Photographs of the Gilt Bronze Maitreya of the Madras Museum
2019
The Madras Museum’s Bodhisattva Maitreya bronze figure was originally part of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts’ Seated Buddha’s bronze altar group. Jan Fontein persuasively showed that the Madras Bodhisattva Maitreya image had a socket in its base, matching a tenon behind the throne, on the Boston Buddha’s left side. The Buddha's ‘right-hand’ bronze figure, the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, was never found.
The Murals of Baiya Monastery Buddha detail
Asianart.com, 1999
The murals of Dege County's Pewar (Ch. Baiya) Monastery are truly exquisite works of art that embrace their subject matters with a mixture of vivid color and painstaking detail. From ghastly esoteric scenes of demons wearing human skins to the serenity of buddhas seated in meditation, the depictions on the walls of the temple and upper prayer room comprise a mixture of stylistic influences from within and outside Tibet. Placid Nepalese-style bodhisattvas adorned with gold and flowing scarves face characteristic Tibetan esoteric figures with multiple arms and heads, standing on lifeless bodies. Just next to this unlikely couple lies a secular scene of workers so Chinese in style that they could almost have been transplanted from a Song or Jin Dynasty Shanxi temple wall. This blend of style, coupled with the seamless transition from iconography to storytelling, results in a unique and highly syncretic body of religious art. The purpose of this essay is to expose and identify some of the iconography and religious stories depicted on the walls of the temple. I have tried to choose some of the more exemplary large figures and commonplace narratives as an introduction to Buddhist representation within a Tibetan context. A brief description of the physical setting, that is, the temple itself, will precede the discussion of the murals. The Temple (click for Temple Plan) The temple, or lha-k hang, (1) as it is termed in Tibetan, makes up the northernmost part of the monastery, and, as is to be expected, constitutes the largest single room in the complex, boasting over 300 square meters of space. The size, it should be remembered, reflects its historical function not only as a monument to Buddhism, which it indubitably is, but as an assembly hall for monks and lay believers alike. The structure was built and decorated in the time of the great Dege King Tenpa Tsering (1678-1738), who greatly lavished on the this monastery because it was among his last religious projects.(2) This, then, dates the murals to somewhere in the first forty years of the 18 th century. A small enclosed anteroom with irreparable murals of its own provides a buffer between the hall and the courtyard of the monastery. Entrance into the large room is achieved only after climbing a few steps and passing through this vestibule at the north end of the monastery's inner courtyard. Two large wooden doors mark the only way in and out of the chilly home of the masterpieces to be discussed below.
Buddha's Stūpa and Image: In search of the Ultimate Icon
D. Park, K. Wangmo, S. Cather, eds, Art of Merit: Studies in Buddhist Art and its Conservation , London, Archetype Publications, 2013, 19-26.
The primary focus of this paper is not on the architecture and iconography of the Buddha’s stūpa and image, but rather on the portrayal of the Buddha’s mystical identity as embodied and reflected in the doctrinal, architectural, and iconographic permutations of his stūpas and images. Stūpas and images are the perceptible expressions and anchors of the Buddha’s mystical and ineffable presence in this world, and indeed of the presence of Buddhism. They also epitomise Buddhist beliefs and aspirations, and serve as the focus of Buddhist devotion and practice. The stories of stūpas and images depict the ineffable silhouette of the Buddha, and conversely the Buddha’s ineffable silhouette permeates and imbues his stūpas and images with mystic life and power. Thus we are concerned here with the inner dynamics and permutations of the Buddha’s stūpa and image, which are not usally perceptible with the naked eye.
Who is Maitreya: Buddha, Bodhisattva, or God of Wealth?
TAMGA-Turkish Journal of Semiotic Studies, 2024
Maitreya is currently recognized in Buddhist doctrines as both Bodhisattva and Buddha, a symbol and an original expression. Though diverse and challenging to identify its origins, Maitreya's expressions and symbolism can be broadly categorized into two original styles, Indian and Chinese. Using comparative iconography this research traces the development of Maitreya in Vietnam from its origin in the Chinese style, often depicted as a large, jolly man with a smile to its representation. In this research, the syncretization process is employed to analyze the evolution of the Maitreya symbol and its expressions in Vietnam through these same two incarnations of Maitreya Buddha and Maitreya Bodhisattva. The Maitreya icon in China contrasts with the Indian icon with a serious face, slender body and calm vibe. The research explores the emergence of and differentiation between Maitreya and quasi-Maitreya symbols in modern Vietnamese culture to emphasize the persistence of cultural syncretism. Finally, a new hypothesis emerges in the late 20th century: against a background of changed economic circumstances in Vietnam, the Maitreya symbol evolves into a new deity: Maitreya-God of Wealth (MGW).